Five-day training programme on planning and implementation of carbon neutral villages held

SHILLONG: The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, North Eastern Regional Centre (Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India), Guwahati (NIRD and PR - NERC), Assam, and State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), Meghalaya, Nongsder, jointly organized a five-day regional off-campus training programme on the topic “Strategies for Planning and Implementation of Carbon Neutral Villages” during May 8 to May 12 to address India’s performance on climate action. Officials representing the Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Development, State Biodiversity Boards, Meghalaya Basin Development Agency, and other organizations drawn from Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram participated in the programme to deliberate on the Biodiversity Act and its Institutional Mechanism for Implementation, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) for good governance at the local village institution level.

This training module has been developed and designed by Dr. V. Suresh Babu, Associate Professor (NIRD and PR – NERC), to create a pool of employees who can create awareness among the village communities and support the BMC, emphasising access and benefit sharing provisions, preparing the PBR (People’s Biodiversity Register), estimating carbon emissions, sequestration processes, and sinks, marketing carbon credits, and enhancing biodiversity through holistic approaches of the Rural Development flagship programmes, including centrally sponsored line department schemes, could enhance the afforestation, biodiversity, and livelihood opportunities of tribal rural households.

Dr. V. Suresh Babu, Associate Professor and Programme Director, NIRDPR-NERC, Guwahati, while welcoming the esteemed dignitaries, resource persons, and participants to the event laid focus on the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). India’s performance on climate action has been rated as ‘high’ in the GHG emissions, energy use, and climate policy categories, ‘medium’ in renewable energy, and is already on track to meet its 2030 emissions target aligned to a well-below ‘2 O C scenario’.

Dr. D. Evanoreen Ann Khongwir, Scientist, Meghalaya Biodiversity Board (MBB), presented an interactive session on the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) and a case study of Khweng BMC in detail regarding seven PBR formats. Dr. S. Dey, Senior Technical Officer, Meghalaya Biodiversity Board, delivered a lecture on Access and Benefit Sharing Provisions, facilitating the village household and village council with economic benefits and respective shares.

In continuation, participants were also exposed to the National Bamboo Mission for biodiversity conservation, with a focus on the promotion of bamboo in degraded lands / scrub forests to sequester maximum carbon and accelerate rural livelihoods and economies through value addition. He referred to the role of the GPDP in holistic planning for CPR conservation across the country. The programme focused on interactive deliberations, including two days of practical exposure. Participants visited the community village forests in Sohra and Umdiengpoh, the home-based nursery at Laitthemlangsah, and assisted natural regeneration in Dympep village site managed by the community with the technical support extended by Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project, stated a press release.

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